1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to knitted articles, and more particularly to tights.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to produce tights in the form of two tubular portions, which form the respective legs, and a central portion, between the tubular portions, which forms the pants portion of the tights. The central section is provided with an opening the periphery of which defines the waist line which is at least partly bounded by elastic zones.
It has been proposed to knit these tights on a circular knitting machine using continuous rotational motion of the needle cylinder, with the opening being constituted by a longitudinal slit or by a rectangular opening or the like. It has also been proposed to knit these tights using continuous motion of the needle cylinder when knitting the two tubular leg portions, and using a reciprocating motion of the cylinder when knitting the central portion, the opening, in this case, being in the form of a longitudinal slit. These previously proposed methods lead to certain drawbacks regarding the time required for the production of the relatively long portion in which the slit is developed, and defects arising in the slit zone which defines the waist line, owing to the non-satisfactory adaptation to the body shape -- when the article is worn -- and to non-satisfactory operation of the elastic zones.